Student Responses to Review Topic: Food And Dining

Frank Dining Hall, to me, serves good, healthy food. People complain about it, but itâ??s only because itâ??s not â??gourmet.â?? The people who work their are lovely and friendly and the food is all fresh. There is a salad bar, vegetarian bar, sandwich/wrap bar and a whole meat section.
Throughout the year there will be themed nights as well. One night was Polish food which was delicious (regular food is also available).

The food at the dining hall gets repetitive, however there are some great places downtown to eat if you want to make the walk. Meals at the Coop (O'Connor Campus Center) are amazing. Also The Edge Cafe is underutilized but has great to-go options. With just one choice for meal plans freshman year, you really get to experience all that Colgate has. The Hieber Cafe has many traditional Starbucks drinks. Bring a coffee maker because the coffee in the dining hall is terrible.

Jul-17-2014I am
researching this school and
have not visited the campus

There are a lot of options (including vegan and vegetarian), but my favorite part is the sustainability. They use local farmers and producers, which keeps the food fresh and good for the environment. The first year, a meal plan is required, but you get to use the dinning hall as much as you like.

The Coop, the Edge (which may soon be replaced by a Moe's), and library cafe are all pretty dependable for good food. However, Frank - the regular dining hall - is far more variable. When it's good, it's great...but more often than not, it's less than satisfying and my friends and I often resort to cereal for lunch/dinner. There are a lot of options though, and there is a vegetarian station, as well as a fro-yo machine and ice cream every day.

Freshman and sophomore years you will probably eat most of your meals at Frank dining hall or the Coop. Both have decent food with plenty of dining options, which is good for your first year. Typically by second year you'll be sick of Frank, so look for brown bags -- these are lunch talks put on in the women's studies center, the Cove, and other locations that offer free, DELICIOUS food. Make sure you get to these events early because they are super popular, especially with upperclassmen who have to pay for their own food. Junior and senior year you are usually in a Colgate apartment, an off-campus house, or Greek housing, which means you will probably have to go food shopping at the local Price Chopper more often.

Students have three options on campus: Frank Dining Hall, the Coop, and the Edge Cafe. Frank offers the typical dining hall experience, with hamburgers almost every night, a varying hot entree, pizza, pasta, salads, sandwiches, and always a vegetarian option. While eating there every night can sometimes become tedious, the food is rarely bad. The Coop offers a hot grill with fried chicken, burgers and grilled cheese, as well as a sandwich, salad and pizza station; also available is pre-made grab-and-go style sandwiches and salads. The Edge is all grab-and-go, though few people eat there as it is not particularly conveniently located for most people.

Frank dining hall has a lot of variety but it can get old very quickly. Frank dining hall has something for everyone including vegetarians and vegans, specifically the Wild Mushroom.There is The Coop also on campus that has grilled food like chicken tenders and and fried chicken sandwiches and more. There is also pasta, salad, and a deli. The Coop is the most popular late night option because it open until 1:30.

Greek life I believe encompasses a little more than 30% of the student population, but often it feels like more. There are six frats, three sororities, one all-women social club, and two all male social clubs. Because Greek life is so popular, the sororities are pretty large, and there's an unequal amount of frats and sororities, we are trying to campaign to the school for another sorority. Because Colgate is in such a small town, often the only parties available at night involve the Greek scene. The school is trying to open up more non-Greek social events, but for now many people join Greek life just to have a social life. However, the Colgate administration is anti-Greek and they've been cracking down more on closed parties and the drinking policy.

It is not as overwhelming as everyone thinks it is. About 40 % of the campus participates in greek life. The social events are not confined to greek life but if that is what you like, it is there. There are three sororities and six fraternities.

Greek Life is pretty heavily involved at Colgate. About half of the eligible students (Sophomores and above) are involved with Colgate's six fraternities and three sororities. You don't need to join one to stay a part of the social scene, but it does help a lot if you do join one, especially if you're not part of a sports team or large club. You can have more fun at Colgate without participating in Greek Life than most other schools, but it does add to the experience.

Greek life is a small part of the Colgate experience, but it does exist. While there are 7 frats, there are only 3 sororities. Rushing occurs in the beginning of the sophomore year, and students are encouraged to rush just for the experience.

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